Ok, time to butterfly. When I was in college, I loved skiing at Jackson Hole. One time I was transitioning between runs (a bit too fast), hit a bump and did a belly flop like someone strung a wire at ankle level. No problem since the snow was soft, but when I got up, a few inches to my left of my face was a broken off sapling, maybe an inch in diameter. Damn, that thing could of killed me. Later in the trip we're all having a fantastic time and suddenly I'm 20 ft in the air (unmarked cliff). I land, do a front flip and land in an easy chair of powder. The problem was where are the guys behind me going to land. When you're up to your shoulders in snow, there's not a lot you can do about avoiding contact. I watched as my buddies flew over me like planes landing on 35 west. If you talk to skier, these are normal stories. It's just part of skiing and what makes skiing fun. The reason I bring it up here is that it made me realize fairly young that you either have a guardian angel, or you damn lucky and have a strong life force. I used to joke that the mountain let you have fun, but every one in a while it would step up and throw you on your back in a judo throw just to let you know who's boss.

When the mountain goes judo, I want a backup plan; my guardian angel may be off protecting some other fool. So yeah, I like the idea of telling someone where I'm heading and when I'll be back. The color of my tent, well, I'm probably not going to get into that detail, but I at least want to direct a rescue in a specific direction and distance.

Since I have the floor, I'll keep blabbing. Most of my interactions with rangers at Glacier have been quite positive, but this summer I was reading between the lines on two interactions. (I'll try to remember to talk about one in my trip report.) If you're reported missing, I think there is a tendency by rangers to "blame the victim." I.e., every accident if preventable, and if you have a problem, it's your fault. Most of the problems are stupid, so when someone really does have an accident, I think they assume it's just another unprepared hiker. So yeah, I little more info on a form to indicate you're not the normal stupid hiker is also going to help. Of course if you're a stupid hiker, just say that e.g. you left in jeans, T-shirt and dress shoes to climb Reynolds (on June 28th.)

No, I did not feel like anyone was jumping on me. It is great to read that you learned something from your close call Jay, many folks either get even bolder, or after a while forget about the incident until something happens again, and unfortunately some do not survive to get a second chance. Many in their younger years feel invincible or do not believe such a tragedy can happen to them, as we get older we may have more responsibilities such as a spouse, children, and expenses, also one is supposed to mature, though this does not always happen. I am always somewhat dump founded when some folks say they would rather die in the backcountry doing what they love and have a passion for, sorry but to me this is rather selfish and not a well thought out idea. Unfortunately I have witnessed the heartache and pain that the family and friends are left to suffer with after a backpacker goes missing and is never found. Even if there is an understanding between the backpackers/hikers and the family that their should be no search, which some folks say they have with their family members, most folks want to say goodbye, even if it is from the persons remains. If they are robbed of this there is no closure, which just leaves an empty void in their souls. To clarify, I too would rather meet my demise in the backcountry than in a car crash or cancer, but I also would like my remains found so my family is not robbed of the chance to say goodbye and have closure. This form gives me a better chance, in conjunction with a PLB or SPOT device, for this to happen.